Lividity
by Lady Medusa Formalization
Summary: Penny and Sheldon enter into a physical, but potentially damaging relationship. A collaboration between Lady Houston and Medusa20  We've created our own account!
1. Chapter 1

Penny loved her vampires. When the _Twilight_ series came out, she was all over it, reading about Bella and Edward's tortured love and recalling fond memories of the movie _The Lost Boys_. Then _True Blood _premiered. Penny dumped the ever noble and chaste Edward Cullen faster than last year's shoes. These were the vampires he had been waiting for! Lusty, scary, darkly motivated. Once she learned the TV series was based on novels, she devoured every single piece of the Sookie Stackhouse series. Every Sunday, she plunked herself down with a bowl of popcorn and watched the darkness come to life. It is possible that the sex scenes had more of an impact on her because, currently, the only men in her life belonged to the Geek Squad across the hall. No one over there was thirsting for Penny's blood. At least not the way Eric Northman would.

On this particular Sunday evening, Penny was drooling over her vampires on Sheldon's couch due to the cable company's of understanding that if Penny didn't have a place to live, she could not remain in their customer base thus she made the decision to pay her rent rather than her cable bill. Sheldon sat in his spot with his laptop and hogged the popcorn bowl. He would offer commentary regarding the various inaccuracies he perceived on the show. Penny was able to ignore him simple because she was engrossed in the way Bill Compton's lips and fangs were molesting Sookie's neck. Absently, she ran her hand down the side of her neck imagining Bill there. The warmth between her legs pulsed harder.

Sheldon was pretending to surf the Internet but Penny had caught him peeking(one again) over his monitor. She noticed with wry amusement that a particularly graphic romp of Eric's caused Sheldon to leap from his spot, race to the refrigerator and consume half a bottle of water in a single gulp. Penny took her eyes from the screen to watch the muscles in Sheldon's throat work. She rubbed her tongue over her left incisor longing to give Dr. Cooper a little nibble especially as he was now-flustered, embarrassed and probably a little aroused.

Sheldon returned to the couch and resumed possession of the popcorn. Penny held her knees together - self- conscious of the dampness there. Sheldon still had two spots of red lingering on his cheeks. Otherwise, he was back to his usual colorlessness.

It occurred to Penny that Sheldon could be a vampire but for the germ thing. He'd starve before he drank anyone's blood. He was certainly pale enough, barely went outdoors and had a freakish ability to remain perfectly still. She sighed relegating him to the world of _Twilight's _purity rather than _True Blood's _carnal need.

Some scene with Tara(who was quickly becoming the _True Blood _version of _90210_'s Kelly Taylor) dragged across the screen. Penny turned her attention to Sheldon's right hand. It moved, so it seemed, of its own will. Drifting. Long fingers selecting the perfect piece of popcorn to rest momentarily on Sheldon's fuller bottom lip. He never really opened his mouth to consume the snack. He would flip it in ever so slightly with the tip of his tongue. Every time he did that, Penny would unconsciously lick her lips.

Tara wailed on about not wanting to die or drink or do her laundry and Penny's eyes traveled up to Sheldon's wrists. His lime green sleeves were pushed up to avoid being contaminated with butter and salt. He had great forearms- not too hairy, his slight muscles flexing delicately. Penny was just as turned on watching Sheldon's right arm's gross and fine motor functions as she would be from Eric's thorough screwing of a Fangtasia waitress.

The scene on TV changed-Tara hopefully fell into a Louisianan sinkhole. Bill was offering Sookie his wrist. Sookie held it to her mouth, writhing and groaning with pleasure. Penny couldn't take it anymore. She reached out, grabbed Sheldon's arm and pressed her mouth to the inside of his wrist in a perfect imitation of Sookie.

"Penny! What on earth…" Sheldon's words dwindled down to a moan as Penny sucked harder on the delicate skin. She turned herself in order to watch Sheldon's reactions. She sucked the skin between her teeth and gave a gentle bite. Sheldon closed his eyes and murmured, "Good Lord, Penny."

Penny broke free only to swipe her tongue across the indentations from her teeth. Sheldon tried to pull away but she was too quick. His punishment was for her to work the skin even more forcefully, sighing as his long fingers cradled the side of her head.

"Sweet, sufferin' Jesus." Sheldon panted feeling the blood vessels breaking under her ministrations. She had his autonomic nervous system lit up like a Saturnalia tree all from the assault on his wrist. Part of him was completely disgusted but that part was getting trampled by the highly inappropriate messages his afferent cerebrospinal nerves were sending to his brain. Most involved Penny performing the same oral acrobatics on other parts of him. The only way Sheldon could respond was with a sharp intake of breath and an urgent tug on the curls at the base of her head.

Penny heard the music that accompanied the ending credits. The tops of her inner thighs were slick. She pulled Sheldon's wrist away and gave it a gentle kiss. Sheldon dropped his head onto the back of the couch. Penny examined her work. The skin was bright red but beginning to bloom into shades of raspberry, maroon and violet. The teeth marks would fade long before the mark did.

"Your watch should cover that." Penny told him. Sheldon's eyes were still closed.

"And how am I to explain my sudden wearing of a watch on the hand with which I write?" Sheldon still had two fingers buried in her hair. The middle one pressing a small circle at the base of her skull. The effect was convincing Penny that her Sunday panties would be going straight into the trash.

"Don't cover it Sheldon. Let people wonder."

Sheldon pulled up one corner of his mouth in a lazy grin. He took his hand from Penny's neck and finally opened his eyes. They widened in horror at the bruising which grew darker by the second.

"Penny!" his tone was scolding.

"Are you going to cover it, Sheldon?" She taunted, rising from the sofa. "Or, are you going to remain mysterious if only to watch Wolowitz lose his mind?"

"That depends." Sheldon replied. Penny stood by the door with her back to him. She turned her head in profile.

"On what?"

Sheldon's eyes traveled over her bare shoulders. The thin straps of her camisole doing nothing but accentuating the bronze of her skin.

"Will you be watching this vampire mockery here next week?" Penny nodded-she could feel his gaze on her; her knees trembled.

"Then I shall let them wonder." Sheldon focused on an area just below the top of her left shoulder. Penny walked across the hall. Sheldon settled back against his striped pillow picturing Penny's shoulder. 

Oh, yes! Next week, that was definitely going to be his spot.


	2. Chapter 2

When Sheldon went to work Monday, he was actually put out that no one noticed his wrist. Not Leonard during breakfast, not Mrs. Vartebedian to whom he waved, not the cashier at the snack cart from whom he bought Red Vines to use to gnaw out his consternation. He sat at his desk amazed by the blindness of people.

"How could not one person notice?" He wondered aloud. Sheldon was currently sporting a two inch by two inch grape juice colored bruise on the inner wrist of his **dominant **hand**. **The thing practically screamed "Look at me!" but people were apparently deaf as well as blind**.**

He received some satisfaction later in the morning when he was finishing up in the restroom as Dr. Gabelhauser was entering it. Sheldon was engaged in a hand-scrubbing that would put a surgeon to shame. Dr. Gabelhuaser came in to check his hair.

"Dr. Cooper." He greeted.

"Dr. Gabelhauser." Sheldon rinsed off the lather and stepped away from the sink. The fixtures were all on sensors and he loved the thrill that his hands would remain pristine until he got back to his office. Sheldon held his hands up just like a surgeon would as he approached the paper towel dispenser.

"Dr. Cooper, what happened to your wrist?" Dr. Gabelhauser had caught sight of it in the mirror. Sheldon kept his back to his superior as the dispenser rolled off a towel. He dried his hands and between each finger then used the towel to pull the door open.

"I had an encounter with a rabid wolverine." He replied, exiting the bathroom.

XXXX

Howard, as always, did not disappoint. Leonard would not be at lunch because he was filling in for Leslie Winkle at her afternoon undergraduate seminar. Raj was seated to Sheldon's right diligently finishing his lima beans. Howard slid into the seat across from them.

"Do you guys want to checkout a movie tonight?" Raj suggested. Sheldon took in a mouthful of chicken.

"I can't," Howard groaned. "I have to take my mother shopping for a new girdle. She goes through them faster than sand through the hourglass figure she never had."

"Is there anything good playing?" Sheldon wiped his mouth with his napkin. Howard continued murmuring to himself.

"We should invent some kind of super elastic that would allow a woman to adjust a girdle just like a bra." He looked at his companions. "We could have a niche market, boys."

"Impossible." Sheldon put down his fork and automatically gestured with his right hand. "The properties of elastic imply…"

SHELDON COOPER, IS THAT A LOVEBITE ON YOUR WRIST?"

It seemed the entire cafeteria came to a stand still. Howard had actually stood up, knocking his chair backward and pointing a finger accusingly at Penny's calling card. Sheldon's right eye twitched; he'd actually forgotten about his wrist for a moment.

"Holy crap, dude!" Raj exclaimed. "Were you attacked by some sort of mutant vacuum cleaner?"

"Sheldon, I'm still waiting for an answer." as was half the Caltech lunchroom.

Sheldon picked up his tray and rose form the table. He recalled Penny's words: _Be mysterious_.  
"Howard, everybody knows there are vampires in California." and he walked off.

XXXX

Penny skipped into 4A on Sunday at exactly 8:50PM. Her face fell when she saw Sheldon at his whiteboard instead of perched on the couch  
"Hey, Sheldon."

He threw a quick glance over his shoulder.  
"Good evening, Penny. I trust you are here to watch that travesty of a TV series again." Sheldon turned back to the triangles, curves and strange-looking Z's on his board. Penny pursed her lips. Odd.

"Well, yeah. I told you I would be when you asked. Aren't you going to watch it with me?" She had made her way to his board. Sheldon stopped writing when the vanilla sugar smell filled his nostrils. He turned to face her; his right hand hovering in the air between them.

Penny's eyes flicked to his wrist. The mark now encompassed a rainbow of hues. Yellow around the edges blending into soft violet to cranberry with a dark red center. She took Sheldon's uncertain arm and locked eyes with him. The blue took her breath away. Usually it was bright, searing, electric. Now, it was dark, so dark she couldn't discern his pupils. Slowly, she raised his wrist to her mouth and gave the hickey a deliberate, flat-tongued lick. Sheldon shuddered.

"Don't you want to know what happens next?" Penny's voice was husky. The physicist licked his lips.

"Very much so."

"Then what's stopping you?" Penny nipped his sore wrist and his arm jerked away.

"Hey Penny! Do you want me to make popcorn?" Leonard walked into the living room from the hallway. Penny quickly stepped back.

_Fuck_ !

Leonard veered into the kitchen and began making popcorn.

"Sheldon, are you watching TV with us?" He asked.

"I don't think so." He physicist replied, returning to his board. Penny frowned. That wasn't supposed to happen. She walked over to the couch and placed herself in Sheldon's spot.

"Penny, that's my spot."

"You're not using it.' She replied and wiggled her bottom more firmly into the cushion. Popcorn punctuated the air and Sheldon slammed the cap onto his marker and faced Penny.

She was prone across the two cushions. Her pink shorts had ridden up to just below the curve of her rear. Sheldon chewed on his lower lip before shooing her over and seating himself.

"Your show is on." He indicated the clock which read 9:02. Penny clicked the remote and the words of the theme music filled the air.

_"Before the night is through, I want to do bad things with you."  
_  
Sheldon let out a breathy laugh.

XXXX

Leonard joined them on the couch. Penny was now sandwiched between the roommates.

"So, what is this show about?" Leonard wanted to know. Sheldon responded.

"It appears to be based on the premise that vampires, ridiculous ones at that, now slake their thirst…"

Penny clapped her hand over his mouth. "It takes place in Louisiana," She told Leonard. "Vampires have revealed themselves because the Japanese have…" She stopped in her explanation. Sheldon had just drawn a single line up her palm with his tongue. Leonard looked at Penny expectantly.

"Sorry," she stammered, "I lost my train of thought. Anyway, Sookie, the main character, is a telepath." Sheldon took the flesh of her palm between his teeth and stroked it with his tongue. Penny's temperature shot up and there was liquid between her legs.

"Just watch it." She gasped, pulling her hand away from Sheldon

XXXX

Twenty minutes into the hour long show, Penny's fingernails caught the mark on Sheldon's wrist. She looked up at his profile and saw his right eye move the tiniest fraction. A sinister smile darted across her face as she looked back at the screen. Leonard was too busy shoveling popcorn into his mouth to notice either of them, but if she kept staring at the taller man, he would definitely notice something was up. So, she had to do all of this by touch and touch alone.

She dug her fingernail into Sheldon's wrist a little harder, not hard enough to draw blood, but she did feel his arm tense. Turning her body so that Leonard couldn't see her arm, she trailed her nail up Sheldon's forearm and into the crook of his elbow. She relieved some pressure and lightly grazed his arm back down the other side, all the way down to his hand which was resting on his lap dangerously close to his crotch. Sheldon didn't budge, but she could feel him shivering beside her. Before bringing her hand back into her lap, she lightly skimmed the back of her hand against his, and casually brushed his thigh.

"Sheldon, are you okay?"

Leonard's voice made Penny jump and she quickly looked up at Sheldon who's eye was twitching so ferociously she thought he might be having a seizure. Penny turned and looked at Leonard who seemed to be focusing solely at his roommate. He obviously didn't see what she was doing just moments before.

"Leonard, Sweetie, do you have any RC Cola?"

Both physicists looked at Penny as if she had lost her mind.

"No," Leonard answered. "Why would we have RC Cola?"

"I don't know, but I really have a craving for it. There's something about vampires and RC Cola." Penny looked at him through her eyelashes and licked her lips.

"Th-there's a corner store about a block away that sells things like that," Leonard stammered. "I could go check?"

"That would be so great! Thanks, Sweetie." Penny gave him a wink. It didn't take long for Leonard to jump up, grab his keys and run out of the door, slamming it behind him.

Turning around to face the other physicist, Penny found him staring back at her with a mix of contempt and anticipation.  
From the TV, a heavy bass beat was thumping undercut by moans of passion. Bill had just rescued Sookie from werewolves and she was expressing her gratitude by riding him fiercely. Sheldon flicked his eyes to the screen for just a second- long enough for Penny to catch the reflection of the action on his corneas. God, she loved this show!

Penny grabbed Sheldon's arm and placed her tongue on his lovebite. She licked the inside of his arm all the way up to the edge of his pushed up sleeve, moaning as she did so. Sheldon's breathing quickened and he let out a shuddering sigh. Without warning, Penny lifted her hand and raked her fingernails across the inside of Sheldon's forearm. Hard.

Sheldon let out a stifled yell and looked down at his arm. Penny gasped as she saw traces of blood swell from under the scrapes. Her eyes went wide and she looked up at her neighbor. An apology died on her lips. There was a look on his face she had never seen before. His blue eyes stared icily at her through hooded lids. His head was tilted down and his chest was rising up and down in an almost exaggerated fashion. He looked like a predator ready to attack his prey. She looked down and saw him lick his lips.

A sound at the door caused the spell between them to break and they both turned to see a sweaty, panting Leonard bursting into the apartment.

"No…RC…Cola….Sorry," Leonard wheezed.

Penny hoped her "put out" look came across as disappointment at Leonard's announcement.

"I'll see what we have in the fridge." Leonard said when he got his breath back and made his way into the kitchen.

Penny turned and looked at Sheldon. His eyes were flitting back and forth between the kitchen and her and his breathing had become faster and louder. She wondered why he was suddenly acting like that. Had she broken him? As soon as Leonard stuck his head in the fridge, Sheldon leant over Penny, brushed her collar down toward her shoulder and sank his teeth into her neck. It took every ounce of self-control she could muster not to cry out at that moment. Whether she wanted to cry out in shock or in pleasure, she wasn't sure. Sheldon didn't bite hard, but she could still feel a slight ache in her muscles that were clamped between his teeth. Any pain was subdued by the feel of his tongue flitting on her skin as he continued to bite down. She had to bite her own lip to keep from making any sounds.

"While I'm in here, do you guys want anything?" Leonard called from behind the refrigerator door.

As quickly as Sheldon pounced on her, he was back in his own spot, sitting up straight and eyes glued to the television as if he hadn't just thrown everything she ever knew about him out of the window.


	3. Chapter 3

Howard walked into Leonard's lab. "Question for you. Have you noticed anything unusual about Sheldon?"

"How much time ya got?" Leonard quipped.

"Seriously," Howard tugged at his red mock turtle neck." You haven't noticed anything?"

Leonard shook his head and handed Howard safety glasses since he was about to turn on the laser. Howard tried again, "Have you recently acquired a cat?"

"You know Sheldon is allergic."

Howard sighed. No wonder Leonard's research never went anywhere- he was oblivious. Howard , however, was still reeling from his encounter with Sheldon this morning.

He had gone to the physicist to ask him if he wanted to see the new pictures sent from space. Sheldon's door was ajar so Howard walked right in. Sheldon was perched on the corner of his desk, tracing deep, raw gouges on his right forearm with a long index finger.

"What the frak?" Howard exclaimed. Sheldon jerked his head up and he winced as he hurriedly pulled his sleeve down over the scored skin. Howard also caught the ghost of Sheldon's impish grin before it was replaced by his visage of haughty derision.

"Did you have a run-in with another hell-hound or hell-cat, I should say." Howard jeered.

"What do you want?"

"Never mind what I want. I'd much rather find out what or who" he raised his eyebrows," has been taking shots at you."

Sheldon crossed his arms, trying not to flinch with pain. When he got his hands on Penny…oh, that was the wrong train of thought because he flushed instantly.

"Howard, I'm not interested in divulging details of my life for your titillation."

"Titillation." Howard snorted..

"Out!" Sheldon pointed to his door. "If I have to tell you again, that will earn you two more strikes."

Howard left and went to find Leonard.

"Why the sudden interest in Sheldon?" Leonard asked.

Howard opened his mouth to answer then changed his mind. It was best to keep his thoughts to himself so that, once he did discover what was going on, it would be that much more dramatic. Of one thing he was sure: Schrödinger's cat, by way of Sheldon, was alive.

XXXX

Knock, knock, knock

"Penny."

Knock, knock, knock

"Penny."

Knock, knock, knock

"Penny."

She stumbled to her door. It was 7Am- that man clearly had a death wish. When she opened the door, Sheldon thrust a wad of money in her face.

"Pay your cable bill." He ordered. Penny blinked the sleep from her eyes.

"What?"

"I don't care if you never pay me back. Just take care of the bill." Sheldon pushed the money toward her. Penny rubbed her left eye and , vision cleared, looked up at Sheldon. He was staring at her and she realized she had answered the door clad only in a man's sleeveless white t-shirt and purple polka-dot panties. Sheldon couldn't seem to move his eyes from her nipples which showed through the thin fabric.

"I'm not taking money from you." She said flatly.

The numbers that dictated the circumference of her areola, the hyperbola of her breasts and the increase in his pulse skittered through his brain taking up the room he needed for string theory and dark matter research. He had to put a stop to whatever this was, regain control, return to science.

"Are we done here?" Penny pulled him from his thoughts. Sheldon nodded, turned as if to leave then spun back and gathered her in his arms. He leaned in to kiss her but she averted her head so his lips landed just under her jaw. He set to work, kissing and pulling at the softness there. Penny grabbed his shoulders while Sheldon, without even having to reach, put his left hand behind her knee and pulled her leg up.

Penny gasped as he pulled her against him. His head traveled downward until his lips landed on her collarbone. She moaned causing Sheldon to give her a strong nip.

"Sh..Sheldon," Penny's breathing was erratic. "Leonard."

He trailed his lips up to her ear and glanced at his watch which was behind her.

"Ten more minutes." he whispered. Ten more minutes and Penny was pretty sure she'd explode in her doorway. Sheldon tried once more to capture her lips but she pushed him off.

"Later." She promised. "Go to work. I'll see you later."

Later was when it all began to spin out of control.

XXXX

Sheldon entered the lobby. He was relieved to find it empty. His plan was to get his mail then go upstairs to soak his arm. It was killing him; perversely, whenever he looked at it, he experienced significant increased activity in the left anterior cingulate cortex and the right insula of his brain. This resulted in a clear sensory recall of the feel of Penny's neck in his mouth, the warmth between her legs. It's a wonder he got any work done today. More troubling was how much he wanted it all again.

He turned from his mailbox to find Penny behind him. "Hello Penny," He greeted, placing his mail in his messenger bag. "You're home early."

"Yeah, well, I was up early this morning." She gathered her mail. Bills, ugh! Sheldon either didn't pick up on her dig about his wake-up call or chose to ignore it. They headed up the stairs..

"How was the 'hash slinging' today?" Sheldon made finger quotes in the air.

"Pretty good. Lots of tourists. Excellent tips." They crossed the second landing.

"Where's Leonard?" Penny brushed her bangs back.

"He's taken his vehicle for an oil change. I was going to keep him company but, if he delayed, I would have to take the bus and my bungee cords are in my closet."

"I'm surprised you don't carry a spare set. Just in case."

Sheldon stopped walking as did Penny. "I never thought of that." He was serious.

Penny's feelings were conflicted. On one hand, she was glad that their old dynamic seemed to have re-established itself. Still, she missed seeing the hunger for her in Sheldon's eyes and the memory of his hips rubbing into her from this morning had occupied her most of the day. That's why she probably earned good tips- she smiled a lot today.

"How's your arm?" She asked just as they neared their floor.

It was the wrong thing to say.

No sooner had they reached the top step when Sheldon grabbed Penny's shoulders and threw her back against the elevator doors. The "Out of Order" sign ripped and Sheldon watched, head down, as it hit the floor. When Penny recovered from her initial shock, she struggled against his weight, but he was surprisingly strong and held her fast. She looked up into Sheldon's face and saw that his eyes were cold slits shining back at her and his nostrils were flaring.

"Do you know," he growled in a voice Penny didn't recognize, "how many bacteria inhabit the underside of a human fingernail?"

It took all of Penny's will power not to look down at Sheldon's forearm. The tiniest of smirks escaped instead and she could hear Sheldon grinding his teeth in response. Without warning, Sheldon brushed back the collar of her uniform and sank his teeth into the same spot he had before. Only this time, he bit down hard. Penny gasped in pain and alarm and whimpered as the back of her head hit the elevator doors. White lights burst behind her eyes and she wondered if she was bleeding when she felt Sheldon begin to suck on her neck. Surely he wouldn't have bitten her that hard, not after that whole spiel about germs a few minutes ago.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sheldon let her go and took a few steps back. Penny touched her neck and looked at her fingers. No blood, but she could definitely feel a mark. Now it was Sheldon's turn to smirk and it was then that she noticed the warm damp spreading between her legs.

"You rat bastard," Penny swore and she lunged at him full force. Sheldon tried to step back, but she grabbed what little hair she could and pulled him toward her, nearly sending them both sprawling on the floor. She used her handful of hair to turn him and push him toward her apartment with her body. Before she could throw him against her door, he grabbed her waist and turned them around. Her back hit the door before she knew what was happening or how to stop it. Sheldon bent his head down and brushed his lips against her, but she pulled his hair again, causing him to cry out in pain. Reaching his hand back behind him, he grabbed her fingers and yanked them away from his head, then gripping her wrist, held it above her head against the door. Swiftly, he used his other hand to pull at her collar just enough to expose the top of her breast and bit down. Tears welled up in Penny's eyes and she quickly began to lose control of her breathing.

"Why can't I kiss you?" Sheldon's gravelly voice sounded in between his bites in the same spot. When Penny didn't answer, he tried kissing her again, leading with his tongue. Penny couldn't back away, so she moved her head to the side instead and felt his tongue and lips hit her hot cheek.

"Sheldon," she panted, "if you keep trying to kiss me, I'm going to put those bungee cords to good use."

Sheldon gripped her tighter and smirked and Penny could feel something wet trailing down her inner thigh.

"I'd like to see you try."

Penny's eyes widened and if Sheldon hadn't been holding her so tightly, she probably would have fallen. She tried to give him her best innocent look, but he was staring at the stairwell, head cocked to the side.

"Someone's coming," he whispered. Penny knew better than to question Sheldon's hearing, so when he let her go to straighten his hair and shirts, she slinked back into her apartment.

Howard and Raj came up the stairs to find Sheldon staring at Penny's door.

"Are you lost?" Raj called.

Sheldon turned. "What are you doing here?" His eyes had a funny cast to them and his lips were swollen.

"It's Wednesday." Howard reminded him while making note of Sheldon's features and the torn elevator sign.

Sheldon blinked. Wednesday? Why was that important when Penny wouldn't kiss him and he was pretty sure he had just challenged her to tie him up with bungee cords?

"HALO." Raj stressed.

"Of course," Sheldon snapped out of his haze and opened the door to let them in. "Leonard should be back soon. Excuse me for a moment."

He headed for the bathroom to treat his arm. Raj's and Howard's comments followed him.

"What was that all about?"

"Cat scratch fever." Howard replied.

XXXX  
He wasn't alone. He could sense it; the presence lurking just in front of him. Sheldon shot up from his bed only to be yanked back down. Home invasion! He struggled once more and opened his mouth to shout for Leonard when a light beamed into his eyes.

"Not a word!"

Sheldon ducked his head under the beam. Penny was sitting at the foot of his bed, holding a flashlight.


	4. Chapter 4

Sheldon tried once more to sit up, but he fell back to the bed. Through the sleepy haze, he found that his wrists and ankles had been tied down. He really needed to train himself to be a lighter sleeper.

"Bungee cords," Penny answered his thoughts. "I found them in your closet."

Sheldon bit his lip trying hard not to say anything. Leonard was in his room on the other side of this wall, and he was not nearly as heavy of a sleeper as Sheldon. He squinted in the light of the beam, a bolt of fear tinged with excitement traveled down his spine. When he felt Penny's hand on his thigh, he dropped his head back into his pillow with a repressed sigh.

He didn't have any idea what she was doing or what she planned to do. Not knowing what was going to happen, any change in his routine, usually set him into panic mode. But he had gotten used to the spontaneity that was Penny. She infiltrated his life and every time he turned around, she was there upsetting the delicate balance and disturbing the order he made for himself.

What she was doing to him now, what they had been doing for the past few days, went beyond anything that he had experienced from her before, and as he felt her hand rubbing up and down the inside of his thigh, he had to acknowledge that, once again, she had achieved victory in their constant battle for dominance.

"Penny," he whispered, not sure how he was going to end the sentence. He either wanted to tell her to stop or to tell her to keep moving, just a little higher.

"I said not a word," she answered sharply. "I have a scarf here that would make a perfect gag. Don't make me use it."

Sheldon immediately closed his mouth, afraid of whatever god awful and dirty piece of cloth she was threatening him with. She turned off the flashlight and moved up, kneeling on the bed with his stomach between her legs. He blinked a few times, trying to see in the dark, hoping that the residual light stamped into his retinas would fade so that he could see her face.

Blond hair suddenly curled onto his cheeks and nose and he felt Penny's tongue trailing along the curve in his neck. The hair tickled and itched his face, but his hands were tied. All the could do was turn his head away from it, leaving his neck further exposed to whatever deviousness she was planning.

He held his breath when he felt the tendons in his neck suddenly between her teeth. He thought about what he did to her neck earlier that day. He remembered seeing his mark on her, marring her perfect flesh, and for a moment, he felt the pangs of regret. Everything he has done with her lately has been completely out of character and he couldn't understand why he was doing this. He turned his head even further, allowing her ample room to get her revenge.

But the bite never came. Instead, he felt her teeth grazing and lightly nibbling up his neck and behind his ear. All thoughts left his head when he felt her nip at his earlobe. His breath, which he forgot he was holding, left him all at once. He almost let out a pleading moan when she stopped suddenly, but when he turned to look at her, his eyes finally adjusting to the dark, he saw that she was taking her top off.

She didn't have a bra, so she was fully exposed to him immediately. His eyes went wide, not so much in shock at seeing her breasts, but in surprise at his reaction to it. He felt himself harden at the sight of her nipples and he wiggled with impatience.

Penny smiled a wicked smile and placed her palms down on either side of Sheldon's head so that her chest was now inches above his face. He lifted up immediately and brought her right breast into his mouth. It was an awkward position to be in. His hands were tied to the posts of his bed and remained behind him, so he had to rely on his abdominals to hold him up. She must have known this because she sat up a little straighter, forcing him to lift up higher. In response to her mischievousness, he caught her nipple between his teeth and his tongue and lightly pulled. She gasped a little too loudly and the sound of her voice caused his hips to twitch.

He moved on to the other breast, but this time he lightly bit her nipple. Her gasp was louder this time and he paused for a moment to listen for any movement in Leonard's room. When he was satisfied that Leonard was not awake, he continued, feeling her shiver in his mouth. He let go of her suddenly and fell back into the bed, panting.

The room seemed much lighter now and he could see her face clearly as she ran her fingers over the scratches in his arm. He thought she looked sad, but he was never very good at reading emotions. At that moment, he wanted to kiss her. Gathering up all of his strength, he lifted himself up and touched his lips to hers.

Penny didn't hesitate to pull back. She immediately pulled herself off of him and slid off of the bed. Once again, Sheldon sank into his pillow and sighed. He heard a rustling beside the bed and turned to see what she was doing. He nearly yelled out when he saw that she had the scarf in her hand.

"No, Penny. No! I mean it. Don't you dare -" Sheldon whispered as harshly as he could. It didn't stop her, however, and she stuffed the scarf into his mouth and tied a knot at the back of his head. Sheldon tried his hardest not to think about the germs that were currently residing on the cloth that was in his mouth, which wasn't so hard once he felt her climb back on top of him. This time, they were crotch to crotch. When he felt her tongue in his ear, all bets were off. His hips bucked up and Penny accidentally let out a quiet cry of pleasure and surprise. They both quieted down and listened for Leonard, and Sheldon could feel the pressure and heat on him. When they heard nothing, they resumed their grinding.

Sheldon closed his eyes so that he could feel more of her, but she slid off of him. He wanted to ask her not to stop, but the cloth in his mouth prevented him from saying anything. Then her hands were untying the pull string of his pajama bottoms and Sheldon almost had a panic attack.

She slipped his pants down just enough and a muffled gasp escaped from behind the scarf when he felt her cold hands on him. His hips bucked uncontrollably as she slid her hand up and down. The effect she had on him was a hundred times more intense than any masturbations sessions that he had in the past. It seemed Leonard was mistaken when he referred to Sheldon as "semi-pro".

It didn't take long for him to come. His mind was swimming around too fast for him to notice the sticky mess they were making on his bed. He bit his lip to keep from crying out and he closed his eyes tightly, noticing the patterns of the starbursts behind his eyelids. While he shuddered in ecstasy, Penny undid the binding on his right arm and Sheldon felt a slight pain as the blood rushed back into his wrist. Keeping his other hand tied, she stood up and removed her shorts, then sat down on the bed next to him, her back to his stomach.

"It's my turn now," she whispered and spread her legs apart. It took Sheldon a few moments to understand what she was talking about, but even in a post-orgasmic haze, he was still a genius. Before he did anything, he moved the scarf out of his mouth. He would definitely make her pay for that. Bringing his free hand to a spot between her legs, he noticed how wet she was. A small part of him was disgusted; everything was so wet and sticky and messy. But that part of Sheldon wasn't in charge anymore. He was unsure of himself, but he knew what she wanted so he dipped his middle finger into her, exploring.

Her hips moved in time with his as he began to move faster and faster. When he slipped another finger in, her breath quickened. Sheldon filed that away for future reference. He wiggled his long fingers around, as if he were playing a piano, and enjoyed every moment of her squirming body against his. With each movement, he became more and more aroused, especially when her hips started rocking with his hand.

Then she began whimpering and his heart constricted - he wasn't sure if he was hurting her so he moved his hand away. He immediately regretted his decision when he felt her body still against his. If he was hurting her badly enough, she would have told him to stop. If he was hurting her just a little, well, he still had the taste of cloth in his mouth.

His thoughts were brought back to the action in front of him when Penny suddenly turned and brought her naked body over his again. Sheldon held his breath in anticipation and shook a little in fear of the unknown. He breathed out in relief and frustration when she moved her body down lower so that her legs were straddling his knees.

Sheldon groaned in shock when she licked his penis. He groaned even louder when she took him completely in her mouth. He was still sticky with…Sheldon didn't even want to think of that. Instead he closed his eyes and let himself feel the sensation of Penny. Her hand worked with her mouth up and down. His stomach clenched and unclenched each time she moved down. The feeling of her breasts hitting his thighs was too much and once again, Sheldon experienced the mind-blowing feeling of orgasm.

For a dreaded moment, he feared he had done something wrong. He knew her mouth was still on him when he ejaculated. When he managed to open his eyes and look at her, she was grinning at him and he figured it was something that didn't bother her, although he couldn't imagine why it wouldn't.

She shimmied her way up his legs and over his stomach and he could feel her warmth and wetness trailing up his body.

"Thanks for that," Penny breathed and poked his nose. For a fleeting moment, Sheldon imagined grabbing the back of her head with his free hand and kissing her, whether she liked it or not. But he didn't feel like tasting scarf again, so he just huffed instead.

Penny stood up and put on her clothes. "Goodnight, Sheldon," she murmured and headed toward the door.

"Wait!" Sheldon gasped. "You're not going to leave me like this." It was not a question.

"You have one hand free. You can manage." And with that she was out the door.

Swearing under his breath, Sheldon used what little strength he had left to lift himself and reach for the cord on his other hand. He managed to untie his arms and he bemoaned his tingling and sore wrists.

From outside of his room, Sheldon heard the front door close a little too loudly and not long after, heard the movement in Leonard's room he had been dreading all night. He quickly sat up and pulled the blanket over his body, making sure that every bit of evidence was covered just in time for Leonard's head to poke through his door.

"Is everything alright in here, buddy? I thought I heard a door slam."

"I just went to the bathroom," Sheldon answered in a clipped tone. He tried not to think about all of the bodily fluids that were swimming around on his bed and now on his blanket. Leonard returned to his room and Sheldon booted up his laptop. He wanted to be ready next time.

XXXX

"Sheldon! Dinner!' Leonard placed five containers of soup on the coffee table. The tall man appeared from his room. Sheldon held his arms stiffly to his sides. He walked to his spot and gingerly picked up his soup.

"Something wrong, Sheldon?" Howard noticed his restrained movements.

"My arms hurt." Sheldon replied while taking care not to bring his spoon to his mouth. Instead, he lowered his mouth to the spoon and the room was filled with a loud slurp. Raj and Leonard looked up, annoyance crossing their faces.

"Is that really necessary?" Leonard scolded. Sheldon lifted his head with the spoon poised at his lips.

"How else am I supposed to eat my soup?" He protested.

Penny opened the door and skipped inside. "What do I owe you, Leonard."

"6.95. You're awfully chipper this evening."

Penny waved Howard off the middle cushion and placed herself next to Sheldon.

She gave Leonard a slow, secretive smile then took the lid off the container and inhaled the spiciness of her minestrone. Raj let out a squeak when her hair drifted back over her shoulder to reveal a row of livid bruises along her neck and shoulder.

Howard arched an eyebrow. "Did you burn yourself with a curling iron?" . Sheldon spat soup out and Howard tossed him some napkins. "Too hot." Sheldon said, lamely.

"I bet." Howard snorted. Penny glanced at Howard and realized he knew full well that those marks didn't come from any hair appliance.

"No." She kept her voice even.

"Really? Interesting." Howard mused. "Sheldon was sporting a similar looking mark on his wrist about two weeks ago. Isn't that right , Sheldon?"

"Excuse me," Sheldon tried to push himself up off the couch without whimpering but failed. "I'm going to get a beverage. Anyone care for one?" He ignored Penny's look of concern and Leonard's puzzled frown.

"Are you sure you're going to be able to make it to the refrigerator?" Howard inquired.

With a final push, Sheldon unfolded his frame from the couch. He nearly bit his tongue off to keep from hollering from the pain. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a can of Diet Coke from the shelf. Before shutting the door, he placed the cold aluminum to the rope burns on his wrists.


	5. Chapter 5

Sheldon stood back from his whiteboard and sighed. The formula was beautiful- balanced, coefficients factored, deltas in perfect order. The arcs brought to mind the motion of Penny's back when he…

Knocking stopped his reverie.

"Yes." Sheldon gave a quick glance to the front of his pants to ensure he was presentable. More and more he had to do that whenever he thought of Penny since the start of their liaisons The door opened and Penny came in.

"Hi." She said.

"Hello." His tone was puzzled. "What brings you here?"

Penny smiled a little and gave her head a brief shake. She stood in front of the whiteboard. "I really don't know." She admitted. Her eyes were the color of sun-dappled leaves not murky with lust.

Instinctively, Sheldon leaned in toward her, bracing himself on his left arm. Penny reached out and gently stroked his right arm. The arm that she was beginning to think of as _hers. _She had certainly made her claim to it clear enough. Sheldon bent down and placed a row of gentle kisses along her jaw. Penny leaned into them. A soft sigh escaped her; she could easily get used to Sheldon like this.

"Let me kiss you." Sheldon's voice was deep with need and longing. A man's voice.

Instead of answering, Penny ducked under his arms and ran to his desk. She hopped on, knocking over a pencil holder and a stapler. Pulling her skirt up higher on her thighs, Penny leaned back on her arms. That caused Sheldon's desk calendar to slide precariously to the edge and also toppled over his Mountain Dew. The green liquid trickled onto the floor and meandered across the desk.

"My work!" Sheldon cried, reaching over to right the bottle. He was there between her tanned thighs, her breasts pushed against his chest. His right hand had landed on her left leg when he leaned to grab the bottle. Penny gave a nip to the skin just covering his Adam's apple.

"Is the door locked?" He asked; she shook her head 'no'.

"Good." His mischievous grin appearing before he slid a finger into her and groaned at the moisture there. Penny did a sharp intake of breath as Sheldon tried to establish a rhythm. She reached down and pushed his middle finger into her as well. His eyes burned into her and she leaned back more to tilt her hips.

Sheldon's other hand traveled under her shirt to curve over her breast. His hands were magic. Long fingers, delicate wrists, slim forearms. Penny's arousal increased just thinking about them and she clenched her muscles around the fingers there.

"Angels and saints." Sheldon spluttered into the crook of her shoulder. He changed the angle of his hand, curling his amazing middle and index fingers. Penny panted audibly and clasped her legs around his waist.

"Penny, come for me." Sheldon's lips were dangerously close to hers. He increased the friction. Penny slid her hands under those damned double shirts. Her nails bit into the flesh of his shoulders. She became aware of the quiver in her thighs.

"Sheldon…it's…I'm…" He wrapped his other arm around her to pull her closer. Penny drew her nails down his back as Sheldon felt and caused the tremors to go through her.

When she had left, he surveyed the wreckage of his office. His flawless equation was smeared. All his pencils had disappeared into unknown corners of the room. His calendar had made the final leap to the floor during Penny's orgasm and now soaked up the Mountain Dew that coated the floor. The air smelled of sex . Sheldon ran his hand through his hair. He didn't even know how to begin to straighten this out.

"Do you need custodial services?" Howard leaned against the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" Sheldon demanded.

"I believe I have the same question but, since you asked first, I came to get you for lunch." He leveled his eyes at Sheldon. Howard didn't have to wait long. Under scrutiny, Sheldon's mouth began to twitch.

"Sheldon," Howard adopted an advisory tone, "if this a grad student, you're taking a terrible chance screwing around at work."

Sheldon picked up his calendar. It dripped onto his shoes. "Why do you automatically assume that I was engaged in some illicit tryst?"

"Hey, your words, not mine." Howard sniffed the air. "Furthermore, I can **smell** her. It's oddly familiar. Vanilla sugar. Probably from Bath and Body…" He suddenly stopped talking. Sheldon was glaring at him with such vitriol that even Howard was surprised his head hadn't exploded.

"Ooh!" The engineer hooted. "Ooh! No way! There's just no way. Except it all makes sense now." Howard rubbed his hands together. Sheldon looked about ready to faint. "So tell me, is she as delectable as I always fantasized she would be."

Raj stopped short when Howard came flying out of Sheldon's office followed by a half empty bottle of Mountain Dew.

XXXX

Sheldon checked his watch for the third time. He looked at his reflection in a store window, smoothing down his black shirt with the white chevron symbol and tugging at his long sleeved black undershirt. The absurdity of it all hit him. He should be home working on his next publication. The greatest mind of the twenty-first century was apparently on sabbatical and lesser minds had taken over. Days had passed since the bungee cords and he was finally able to move normally again. He would see Penny now only because he was deeply terrified of what would happen if they were alone in the laundry room tonight.

Sheldon pulled open the door to the restaurant. The hostess' smile died when she saw him.

"You're only supposed to be here on Tuesdays and you're never supposed to be here unescorted." She reminded him. Sheldon bristled at her words but his original intent took priority.

"I need to speak with Penny."

"She's on her break."

Sheldon pinched the bridge of his nose to summon patience. "Where might I find her?"

"Probably in the kitchen but…hey, you can't go back there!" Sheldon had already pushed through the swinging doors. Penny almost choked on the glass of water she was drinking when she saw Sheldon through the steam.

"What are you doing here?"

"I had to see you."  
Penny took his arm and dragged him into the alley out back. Sheldon 's entire body recoiled in disgust. Thankfully, the dumpster was around the corner.

Their eyes met and held.

Penny's conscience gave her a kick. What had she done to him? Memories of Caltech flooded her brain. Now all she could think of was the structural integrity of his desk and his hands. All over her. A feather touch against her cheek brought her back.

"Don't." She pulled away.

Sheldon frowned and yanked her toward him, diving for her mouth. Penny's reaction was instant. She slapped him across the face. Sheldon was stunned. His hands drifted away from her shoulders and he stepped back. Penny's hand print blazed red on his cheek.

"Oh, god. Sheldon. I'm so sorry." Penny wrapped her arms around him but he remained rigid. Troubled by his unresponsiveness, she stood on her toes to press kiss after kiss along his neck murmuring apologies the whole time.

Penny melded herself to Sheldon, pushing him against the wall. She scraped her teeth along his earlobe and felt a spark of arousal in her when he grunted.

"Sheldon, " She whispered. "Show me you forgive me." Penny took his hands and brought them to her breasts. His hands remained still until one crept up and swiftly undid the buttons on her blouse.

He bowed his head and exposed the lace of her bra. Penny waited for him to free her breast. Instead, Sheldon's mouth covered her nipple over the bra. The effect caused Penny to claw at his shoulder. The friction of the lace, the wet insistence of his tongue, the cool air of the alley. She shuddered then bucked against him. Sheldon raised his head to latch more firmly to the curve at the top of her bra. He kept his other hand on Penny's ass not daring to explore further. Penny groaned as she pulled Sheldon's leg between her own and ground into it.. Sheldon's lips were anchored to the spot where her neck curved into her shoulder.

"Harder." She gasped and whimpered when she felt his teeth.

Penny's hand slipped down into Sheldon's pants. She licked her lips, wanting to take him into her mouth right here in this filthy alley. Instead, she stroked the full length of him. A noise came from the back of his throat; the hand on her backside slipped into her panties.

Penny loosened Sheldon's button to work him more fully. He threw his head back against the brick wall. Her hand moved faster-Sheldon's hips jerked.

"Penny," He gasped. She tightened her grip. "Penny, I want you to…"  
"Yes."

"To stop." He opened his eyes and the shock of blue stayed her hand.

Silently, he removed her hand and refastened his pants. He pushed his sleeves down then reached up and chastely buttoned her blouse. Penny was still; the feel of Sheldon remained in her palm.

"I went most of my adult life without any interaction of this kind." Sheldon said softly. He wouldn't look at her. "You don't know how often I imagined being with you but it always felt different in my mind."

"Different?" She drew her brows together.

Sheldon finally faced her. "Yes , different. This…" He gestured to the alley. "is beneath us. I'm better than this. We both are."

Penny closed her eyes and turned away. How could she explain it to him. Would he understand the hold he had on her? As long as she kept this physical, combative, she wouldn't get hurt. Physical pain she could handle. The possibility that Sheldon would not or could not love her was beyond her ken. She opened her eyes to speak but his lanky figure was already walking out into the sunlight.


	6. Chapter 6

After the alley, there had been zero contact. Avoiding Sheldon was easy since he was so regimented that she just lived her life around his schedule. Penny longed for the banter, the flirting, the shy little glances. She missed her friend and, as twisted as it had become, she missed her lover.

Sheldon returned to his first love -science- with renewed zeal. He published articles and even deigned to teach a very small doctoral candidate seminar. Dr. Gabelhauser was impressed with Sheldon's immersion into academic life. Leonard saw it as something else. For one thing, Sheldon had developed a new tic. Whenever deep in thought, he would absently rub the inside of his inner right forearm. This most often occurred while Sheldon was engaged in his other new habit-staring out the window.

Leonard decided to confront him one evening when his roommate was eating in his room (again.) because Penny was over(again.). He knocked on the door.

"Come!" Sheldon said.

"You can come out now. She's gone."

Sheldon finished chewing. "I was reading." His eye fluttered and there was no sign of a book on his bed.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

A bitter laugh escaped Sheldon. Leonard's hair would probably straighten and fall out if he knew the details.

"There's nothing to talk about." He told his roommate. "Nothing at all."

XXXX

. Penny walked into the kitchen while he was making tea. Sheldon spooned out some honey and was drizzling it into his tea when her finger interrupted the golden ribbon.

"Now you've ruined a perfectly good cup of tea," Sheldon scolded. "Don't you use that finger to brush your teeth?"

Penny smiled then stuck the amber coated finger into her mouth, drawing it out slowly. Sheldon swallowed. Penny walked into the circle of his arms and slid her hand into his robe and down. He felt himself harden at her touch. She increased the pressure of her strokes and he backed her against the counter.

Sheldon brushed his lips across her ear then took the outer edge between his teeth. Penny moaned and spread her legs so one of Sheldon's was now there. He felt her dampness soak into his the leg of his pajamas. He moved his lips to the base of her neck at her back and bit .

Penny's grip on him intensified and her tempo picked up. Sheldon groaned between his teeth and ground his hips into her.

"Penny," He whispered as his release began to build. The orgasm took over and Sheldon covered her mouth with his own.

He sat up in bed with another mess to deal with. Annoyed by his regression to adolescent behavior, Sheldon flung back the covers and changed into his emergency pair of pajama bottoms. He couldn't shake the dream. Even though he was appalled by their behavior in the alley, he still wanted her. Wanted to be with the one person with whom control wasn't important because the loss of control was as exhilarating as it was unsettling. He walked toward the apartment door. His blood still pulsed with arousal but he stopped when his fingers curled around the doorknob.

Homo Novus didn't knuckle under. Sheldon returned to his bed with the taste of honey on his lips.

_Same Night_

Penny's jaw dropped as Sheldon stepped out of the dressing room. Why were they in this store again? He was in the same suit, the black one with the striped tie. Whenever she thought of him in this outfit, her mouth began to water.

"Can I take this off now?" He asked.

"Only if you let me help," she replied before she could stop herself.

Sheldon threw her a confused look which turned to surprise as she stalked toward him. She grabbed his tie and pushed him back into the dressing room.

"Penny? Penny what are you doing?" he shrieked when she loosened his tie and dragged it over his head, mussing up his hair. Penny's eyes darkened and she licked her lips. She always liked seeing Sheldon a little worse for wear. It made him seem more human.

In his panic, Sheldon put up little resistance to Penny's confrontation. She quickly and expertly unbuttoned his trousers and let them drop. Trying not to look at his tighty whities, she let her own pants fall to the floor.

"Take off your underwear," She growled.

Sheldon stood stock still and wide eyed. Penny rolled her eyes and pulled down his briefs. He wasn't fully erect, but he was getting there so she decided to help it along. She crushed her mouth to his in an effort to illicit some sort of response. Only a few seconds passed before Sheldon snapped out of his stupor and reacted. He grabbed her head and pushed her closer to him, turning them both around so that her back was up against the wall. Penny wrapped her legs around Sheldon's hips and he used his body to push her more firmly to the wall.

The slamming of her body against the dressing room wall woke her with a start. She was in her sweat soaked bed, twisted in her duvet. Panting, she lay there for a moment while she tried to collect her thoughts. She untwisted herself from her blanket, walked to the kitchen and downed an entire bottle of water that sat on the counter.

She looked at the front door and decided to pay Sheldon a visit. Setting the bottle down, she marched over and turned the doorknob. She stopped short when she thought of Sheldon's reaction to her in the alley way behind the restaurant. Letting the cool wood of the door touch her forehead, she tried not to cry.

XXXX

Raj, Howard and Leonard stood outside 4A.

"Maybe he won't notice." Raj offered. Howard and Leonard gave him scathing looks.

"I still say you color the rice with soy sauce." Howard repeated.

"Right, 'cause he won't notice his food is oversalinated." Leonard sneered.

"Why don't you just reason with him. Tell him the truth- they ran out of brown rice." Raj said.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Leonard 's voice dripped sarcasm. "After all, reason and Sheldon are practically synonymous."

They entered the apartment. Sheldon sat in his spot staring blankly at the TV which was tuned to a game show!

"I don't think the rice is your problem here." Raj whispered. Howard said nothing but silently acknowledged that this was bad.

"Hey, Shelly," Leonard's voice was cajoling. "I got your tangerine chicken here." Sheldon looked at him with dull eyes; he reached out a long arm for the container.

"Thank you , Leonard."

They all waited while he peered inside the container.

"Hmm." Sheldon frowned. The other three braced themselves for his tantrum. The physicist placed the container on the coffee table.  
"While I appreciate your efforts to procure me dinner, I find that I'm not hungry after all." Sheldon's voice was expressionless and he wandered to his room.

Howard watched him go. Yep, very bad, indeed.

XXXX

Penny was wiping down the bar. It was a slow night and she was mostly alone.

"Hel-looo, my beautiful golden flower."

Her hackles rose at the voice. She looked slowly over her shoulder.

"Howard." Her greeting was quick and curt. "What are you doing here?"  
Howard positioned himself on the bar stool across from her and gave a chuckle.

"You know, it's amazing. If I had a nickel for every time Sheldon said that to me. You two always seem to say the same thing in the same fashion. It's like you're connected in some way."

Penny wondered if it would only be considered manslaughter if she shoved a handful of peanuts down his throat. Her hands gripped the polished surface of the bar.

"Why are you here?" Each word was forced out between her teeth.

"Sheldon banished me. I think I forgot to genuflect when he came into the room." Howard adopted a mournful expression. "I came here for a little comfort since it appears you two have had yet another falling out." He drew his index finger down the back of her hand.

Penny snatched her hand away. Falling out? That was the understatement of the year. Sheldon wouldn't look at her or be in the same room. Penny ended up crying at some point every day, deeply ashamed of her treatment of him. After all, what did Sheldon know about interactions between men and women? Her thoughts caused her lip to quiver.

"He hates me." She confessed to Howard and put her head on the bar to let the tears fall. Howard sat there, blinking nervously and unsure of what to do. This wasn't how this encounter was supposed to turn out!

"No.. No.." Howard crooned. He reached up and patted Penny's head since the bar prevented any further contact. "Penny, I can assure you- Sheldon does not hate you."

"Yes he does." She gave a loud sniff then lifted her tear-stained face to him. Howard shifted on the stool; his pants were too tight to sit comfortably for a long time.

"Okay, here's the deal and, since I'm already banished, I've got nothing to lose." He took a deep breath. "There has been no one- not even Leonard- who has had a more profound effect on Sheldon than you. And, it pains me to say it, I have made numerous observations of him when you are around. As a self-proscribed love doctor, I can tell you ,Penny. Most women would give everything they have to have a man look at them even **once** the way Sheldon looks at you all the time."

Penny gave him a watery smile. He wasn't bad- creepy but not bad. "I don't know how to fix this one, Howard."

He shrugged. "I can't help you there but I have heard that sex helps to clear the mind."

"Peanut?" Penny offered him the bowl.


	7. Chapter 7

Penny sat in her apartment, going through her mail. It had been almost three weeks since her back alley encounter with Sheldon. She now avoided 4A altogether and told herself she was one lucky gal that her torrid affair had ended.

"Are you working or trying to control the computer with your mind?" Leonard found Sheldon at his desk. Sheldon didn't even see the blank screen . He saw Penny's wicked grin, her tan legs sliding over his. He felt her tongue under his ear. He heard her moans and sighs. Sheldon pictured them doing laundry and being HALO partners once more

He missed her.

She had to be in his life. He didn't care how. He wanted Penny in all ways and if she would only take him _that _way…then so be it. Sheldon pushed away from his desk and grabbed Penny's emergency key from the bowl.

"Where are you going?" Leonard cried.

Sheldon ignored him and barged into the apartment across the hall.

There were no signature patterned knocks this time, no warning at all. The key slid into the lock and the door swung open, hitting the opposite wall. Penny jumped and mail went flying.

"Sheldon? What are you do-" His mouth was on hers with such ferocity, she forgot for a moment to push him away. When she felt his tongue flick across her bottom lip, she was brought back to reality. She moved her palms to his chest and pressed forcefully, trying to get him off of her without hurting him. He didn't budge – his hands only tangled into her hair and the pressure from his mouth increased. She pushed him harder, but he stood fast, holding her against the kitchen island where they stood. His teeth bit down on her bottom lip, this time and she tasted blood. Surely, that would stop him in his tracks. Instead, his tongue demanded entry and without her permission, her mouth opened to receive him.

Their tongues wrestled for dominance, but each was too strong an opponent to take the other down. Finally, Sheldon broke the kiss and Penny gasped for air.

"That," he snarled, blood – her blood – pooling on his lips, "was for stuffing that scarf in my mouth."

And just like that, his lips were on hers again, and the kiss, though shorter, was as savage as the last.

"That was for tying me with bungee cords."

Again, another wild kiss.

"That was for slapping me."

His hands tightened in her hair so fervently, she already felt her wetness dripping onto her legs. Once more he kissed her brutally, sucking hard on her bottom lip and nipping at her tongue. This one lasted so long, she wondered if she would ever be able to breathe again. Her hands automatically went up to his head, trying hard to grasp at anything to keep her grounded. Just as she thought she might pass out, he was off of her, and panting heavily.

"And that," he said in between breaths, "was for never letting me kiss you."

He looked like an animal, his hair sticking in all directions, his back arched and his arms out, ready to catch her if she tried to run. And she did run – straight toward him. This time she kissed him, pushing him backward. His hands landed on her waist and his strong fingers dug harshly into her skin. She grabbed on to his short hair and pulled him closer to her.

The arm of the couch caught the back of Sheldon's knees and he fell backward, taking Penny with him. His head hit hard against the back of her hands when they landed on the cushions, but he didn't miss a beat. Already, he was tearing at her clothes, pulling her blouse open and popping the buttons off. It was at that moment Penny remembered that her door was still wide open and she thanked the heavens above that Leonard hadn't decided to venture outside of his apartment.

She rolled off of Sheldon and ran quickly to her door, slamming it shut. Before she could turn back to the couch, Sheldon was right behind her. He wrapped his right arm around her shoulder and across her chest, pulling her body to his. With his other hand, he pulled her head to the side, revealing her neck to him. The position they were in reminded her of all the Dracula movies she'd seen in the past, and sure enough, she felt Sheldon's teeth on her skin.

He bit her firmly, not hard enough to break the skin, but hard enough to hurt. The pleasure mixed with pain and the feel of his hardness pressed against her back sent ripples of pleasure down her spine. She laid her head down on his right shoulder and bent her neck, exposing herself even further. She reveled in the feeling as he bit her again and again.

His right hand snaked down the front of her blouse and under her bra. His fingers grazed her already stiff nipples. Penny gasped at his touch, she couldn't believe how sensitive they were at the moment. She didn't think she'd ever been this turned on in her life. She arched her back trying to push her chest more fully into his hand. Sheldon continued to nip at her neck while he played with her breast, kneading and massaging, gently pulling and twisting her nipple.

With a growl, he roughly turned her around by the shoulders and marched her backward to her bedroom. She looked up at him, but he was looking straight ahead, down at the floor, even at her chest, anywhere but in her eyes. For a moment she felt a sudden sadness, her heart aching for him, for them. But he pushed her down onto her bed, and she forgot about what it was she was thinking. While she lay there, sprawled on her duvet, hanging halfway off her bed, Sheldon peeled his shirts off in one swift movement. Even faster, he took off his trousers and underwear, as if he did this kind of thing all the time. It didn't even occur to her at that moment that Sheldon flung his clothes into the corner, piled and wrinkling, without a second thought.

He stood naked over her, in the light. It turned her on even more that he didn't seem to care. His arrogance seemed to spill over into the bedroom as well and, though usually his conceit annoyed her to no end, here and now it made her mind go wild. She wanted him now.

Sitting bolt upright, she grasped his thighs and ran her nails up and down his long legs. She scratched at him, careful not to repeat the same performance as she did on his forearm. His eyes were closed now, so she decided to give him a bit of a surprise.

She took his cock into her mouth and delighted at the sound of his shocked gasp. Keeping her hands wrapped around his thighs, she moved her lips up and down his shaft mixing the pace. His hands found their way into her hair and now he was guiding her at his own pace. Moans and grunts filled the air along with the occasional inhale when she grazed him with her teeth. When she felt him begin to twitch on her tongue, she stopped and smiled at the sound of his disappointed whimper. She moved herself into the middle of her blanket and pulled him onto the bed with her.

He knelt down, his knees on either side of her and awkwardly, he hovered, as if fearful of their bodies touching. As Sheldon carefully undid the remaining buttons on her blouse, she thought about how far this could go. She was grateful that she stayed on birth control even after she broke up with Leonard, because she didn't have a condom and she was certain Sheldon wouldn't even know what a condom was if he saw one.

Still, he hung over her and she helped him remove her blouse and her bra. His pace quickened again at the sight of her breasts and he was savage once again, grasping at her breasts and licking, biting and pulling whenever he could. Penny's mind began to swim and she lost control of her thoughts hearing panting and gasping and moaning. Her vision was a swirl of skin and hair and pillow.

She felt him move down her legs and suddenly his hands were on her thighs. His fingers dug into her skin as he spread her legs apart. She shuddered and felt completely exposed. Though she was used to being naked in front of various men, for some reason it felt different with Sheldon. The look in his eyes was scrutinizing and she wanted to close her legs and pull the blanket up over her body. But he held her thighs firmly. Then Sheldon did something she never thought he'd do. He went down on her.

His tongue darted in and out of her deftly. Her panting increased and her moans became so loud she wondered if they could hear her in the apartment below. Sheldon's tongue curled and uncurled inside of her and her hips began to move of their own accord. She grasped the sides of the bed and held on tightly as his tongue took the same route as his fingers did when she sat on his desk.

"Yes! Oh, God, Yes!" She shouted. To hell with anyone who could hear her. "Sheldon!" She screamed.

At the sound of his name, Sheldon picked up the pace, grasping even harder at her thighs. She felt the mix of pleasure and pain again as his teeth scraped her clit – how the hell did he know where that was, anyway? Sheldon moved up and his fingers found her. She was quite wet already and he easily slipped in two fingers. He moved in and out of her severely, as if he was doing this for his pleasure alone, but Penny lost control and she screamed when an orgasm swept over her.

He pulled his fingers out of her and wiped them across her stomach. He then crawled up and pressed his weight onto her as she quivered in ecstasy. Once again, he began kissing her ruthlessly, biting down on the same lip he did before and she tasted blood for a second time. When he ended the kiss, he looked down and positioned himself so that his tip was at her opening.

This is it, she thought. She looked up at him and saw that his eyes were wet. Was he crying? Her heart shattered.

"Sheldon," she began, but she didn't get to complete her sentence before he slammed into her as if he were taking his anger out on this moment.

It hurt, and not in the pleasurable kind of way. She was so close to shoving him off of her, of telling him to get out and never come back again. But then she noticed that he was still. He hadn't moved a muscle since he entered her. She felt his body pressed down onto hers and all the anger and tension and stress melted from her.

In that instant, there was no fighting, no harmful words or actions. There was no Leonard and there was no science. There was just Penny and Sheldon.

He began to move, but this time slower and more carefully. His hips rocked up and down in measured movements and hers began to match the rhythm. She brought her hands to his face and kissed him tenderly as they moved together as one. His lips were soft against hers. She never noticed how soft they were before. Sheldon's arms wrapped around her shoulders, as if he were hugging her. He looked into her eyes for the first time today. She noticed that they were back to crystal blue and the tears seemed to disappear.

"Penny," he whispered affectionately and she whispered his name back to him as together they fell deeply into one another.

After, Penny lay on her back, taking deep breaths. Sheldon was propped up on his right elbow, looking down at her and catching his breath.

"Are we going to say anything?" Penny looked up at him. Sheldon had a bead of sweat traveling down his temple. He kissed her again, savoring the combination of the two of them on her lips.

"You said 'be mysterious'." He reminded her and flicked the perspiration away.

Their eyes met and held once again. A wordless conversation passed and an agreement was made. A slow grin crossed the lovers' faces as each picked up the other's left wrist and bit down.


End file.
